The Dark I Know Well
by hannaX
Summary: Mickie James returns to her old childhood home that holds so many bad memories, that it hurts to even think about. But as things start to unravel will bad memories be the only thing she'll find?  Mickie/Randy    Complete!
1. The Old House

**A/N: Okay I know I shouldn't be writing another story when I haven't even finished my other one yet, but it just popped in to my head and would not leave me alone so I decided to write it down. Im not sure where its going, but if anyone has any suggestions I would be happy to hear them! Oh yeah, It is set in England as that is where I am from and I have no American Geography knowledge, what so ever.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>I stood outside the house. My old house. The one I grew up in when I was a child. It had changed, <em>a lot<em>. The dazzling white fence that use to go around the house was now dirty and broken with bits of wood missing in some places. The front garden wasn't the best sight either. Empty beer bottles and all kinds of rubbish was spread out on the overgrown grass and the pathway leading up to the front door. The once bright red door had lost its shine and white windowsills were collecting dust.

I turned my head when I heard a group of teenagers, all four of the boys had their hoods up, jeans falling down showing everyone near their pants and dragging their feet along the concrete floor. _Typical_.

Turning my head the other way, I caught sight of someone familiar. My old neighbour Joan. She looked much older now, sadly the years hadn't been to kind to her. Last time I saw her I was only eleven. I doubt she would even remember me. I watched as Joan turned and made her way up her pathway to her front door, put down the few bags of shopping she had been carrying and looked for her keys.

I bit the inside of my mouth as I began to walk over to her.

"Joan?" I called out when I got to her house. She turned around and looked at me in confusion.

"Yes, who are you?" She questioned. Just hearing her gentle voice brought back a load of memories.

"Its me, Mickie James? I used to live nex-" I answered before I got cut of by her.

"Oh my God. Mickie? Look at you, all grown up!" She said.

"Yeah," I laughed. "How have you been Joan? Do you need help getting the shopping in?" I asked, pointing down to the bags.

"That would be lovely dear, let me just get my keys from my bag." She answered before searching through her small black bag.

I moved forward and picked some of the bags up off of the floor and waited for her to unlock the door. A few seconds later, I was walking through the hallway that still looked the same from when I was little. I smiled to myself as some good memories flooded through my head.  
>I followed Joan in to the small kitchen and placed the bags down on the table. I watched as Joan turned around and looked at me. Suddenly,<br>I was being pulled in to a hug by the small woman who I used to refer to as 'Auntie'.

"I can't believe your here Mickie, you look so well." She said, pulling away and placing her hands on my cheeks.

"Thank you Joan," I smiled back.

"So how comes your back here in London?" She asked as she put the kettle on.

"Well to be honest, there was nothing really left for me in Cornwall. I love it down there and would move back anytime, but.. London is my home. I guess I kinda missed it." I replied taking a seat.

Joan nodded, "Would you like a drink?"

"Tea would actually be amazing, if thats okay?" I asked.

"Of course it would be okay!" She said, laughing.

"So how have you been Joan? How are Jack and Louise?"

"I've been fine Mickie, Louise is at University, she wants to be a primary school teacher. And Jack is a lawyer, he got married last year,  
>and is having a baby!" She said as a big smile came upon her face.<p>

"A baby? Joan thats amazing, Congratulations!"

"I can't wait Micke, I going to spoil that baby rotton," She said.

"I bet you will. Remember years ago when I would come over on the weekends and play out with J and Lou? You would always insist that I stay for dinner, and then after you would say "Take what chocolate you want out the fridge, then come back when you want some more," they were the good old days Auntie."

"You still can take what chocolate you want, you know Mickie." She smiled as she placed the cup of tea down in front of me.

"Thanks." I said as I leaned forward in my chair.

"It is so good to see you Mickie. The last time I saw you was in that court room, and you must have only been about eleven. How old are you now?"

"Yeah, I was eleven and im twenty-two now. That had to be one of the worst days, but also, one of the best days of my life. To see him go down for what he did, I had never felt so relieved." I said as I took a sip of the boiling liquid.

"You should have never of had to have gone through all of that Mickie especially at that age, It was terrible what he done."

"I know, but it's all in the past now Joan. After that day, I started fresh and got on with living my life." I gave her a small smile.

"So what is it you do now Mickie?" Joan asked.

"Im actually a photographer. I do Weddings, Baby photo's, anything really." I answered as I took another sip of my tea.

"You'll have to take some of Jack's baby when it arrives!" She said happily.

"I would love to Joan."

A couple of hours later, I was still at Joan's. We had spend most of the time talking about old memories and catching up with eachother.

"Well, I better be going." I said, looking at the time. 8:28pm.

"Okay then dear, you will visit again soon won't you? I'll let Jack and Louise know your back, they would love to catch up with you some time I bet." She said as we made our way to the front door.

"Of course I'll come back to visit. I going to need more chocolate won't I?" I joked. I pulled Joan in to a hug. "Thanks Auntie, I'll see you soon."

"By darling, stay safe." I nodded and walked out the door. I turned back round, and watched as Joan waved one last time then shut the door. I began walking down the pathway, then turned to walk on the pavement. I came to a stop outside my old house again. I blew out a breath and looked up.

That wasn't my house anymore. It was long gone. Just like my mum.

That house was dead. Just like my mum.

My name is Mickie James. And when I was eleven, I watched my father murder my mother in _our_ family house.

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><p><strong>Well.. let me know what you think! :)<strong>

**Hannah x**


	2. Number 53

**A/N: Hey! I back with chapter 2 of this story. I was just sitting in my room today and decided to write, and this is what I've come up with so I hope it's not to bad!**

**Wanna thank **_Ronon'sRascal78, MrsAckles87 and _**for reviewing the last chapter, your reviews mean a lot guys, so thank you! :)**

**Enjoy..**

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><p>Mickie went back to Kents Hill Road. The road where her old house sat. It had been nearly two weeks since she had gone and seen her childhood home, and something was telling her she need to go back. But she didn't know what.<p>

She had spent the morning walking around the old park that her mum and dad used to take her two when she was a child. So many _happy _memories came flooding back to her as she sat on one of the old wooden benches that were still there from when she was little. She watched as parents brought their children here, pushing them on the swings, or helping them down the metal slide.

**Flashback**

"_Mummy, I need your help!" Mickie shouted from the top of the slide._

"_You can do it baby, just take a deep breath." Her mum called back from the bench. _

_Mickie looked down at the slide, and took a deep breath. Sitting down on her bum, she closed her eyes and pushed herself down the cool metal slide. Smiling to herself, she opened her eyes and saw her dad standing at the end of the slide smiling down at her._

"_Daddy, did you see that? I went down the slide by myself!" Mickie said cheerfully. _

"_I saw Mick, well done sweetie!" Her dad leaned down and picked her up swinging her round in circles before bringing her in for a hug and kissing her cheek repeatedly._

**End of flashback**

They should have been things that she wanted to remember, but only brought sadness as she thought about how all her good memories had been crushed because of the one fateful day.

On her way back home, Mickie found herself walking down her old street. All of a sudden, she stopped walking. She didn't even have to look up to know that she was outside number 53. _Her old house_.

Turning her head to the left, her breath caught in her throat. Just starring at the house sent chills down her spine. Looking down at the grass, she noticed that the empty bottles of beer and crisp packets and whatever other rubbish that was on the floor before was now gone, and all that was left was the freshly cut grass. A frown came upon Mickie's face, and confusion set in.

Mickie tightly closed her eyes and shook her head. She quickly turned, only to be knocked of her feet, and land of her bum.

"Shit. I'm so sorry, are you okay?" A deep voice asked. Mickie opened her eyes only to see a tanned hand planted in front of her face.

"I'm fine." Mickie took hold of the hand, and was pulled to her feet. "Thanks."

Only then, did Mickie realize how _gorgeous _this man was. To his icy grey eyes, and his muscular tattooed arms and perfect smile, he was incredibly handsome.

"It's fine." The man kneeled down as he began picking up some food that had fallen on the floor from the broken carrier bag that had split when they crashed in to each other. Mickie knelt back down, saying 'sorry' a couple of times and picked up some red apples that were rolling around in circles on the pavement.

"The bag's no good." Mickie said gesturing to the split carrier bag.

"Their never no good anyway." The man said as he scooped up the last couple of items of food up off the floor.

She stood up, holding the apples in her hand.

"Thanks." The man said, as he stood up, holding a Tesco's carrier bag in one hand and some items of food in the other. Mickie held out the apples to him. He just stood there looking helpless. He had nowhere to put them. "I live just there." He said, gesturing to her old house.

Mickie turned and look at the house, then back at him.

"You live there?" she asked surprised.

"Yeah, it would maybe be a bit easier if you could just bring them to the front door?" The man asked.

Mickie took a deep breath, and nodded her head. They stayed still for a second just starring at each other.

"I feel like I've seen you before." The man said, turning his head to the side, studying her.

Mickie only shook her head 'no' again.

"You were standing outside my house about two weeks ago, right?" The stranger asked.

Mickie's eyes widened in shock. _How did he know that? _This house looked _dead_ about two weeks ago.

"Erm.. I- I can't remember." Mickie said trying to look anywhere except his eyes. Eye contact right now would be awkward. The man only nodded, and began walking up the pathway. Mickie took a deep breath, and began to follow him.

They stopped outside the front door. She looked at an old man who was waiting with his dog at the bus stop up the road at little bit as she waited for him to unlock it. Mickie swayed form side to side as she watched him push the door open. And that's when it hit her. A hundred flashbacks from when she was a kid hit her. _Hard. _All the memories of walking in to the house with her mum pushing the pram behind her, and her dad shaking his boots off his feet and shrugging his old jacket off and hanging it up, fought their way back in to her mind.

The man moved the bag just inside the front door before turning round to take the apples off Mickie.

"I never did get your name." The man said once he hand the fruit in his hand.

"Mickie."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Mickie. I'm Randy." He gave her a small smile in which she returned.

"Nice to meet you too, but I better be going." She pointed with her thumb to the road. Randy nodded.

"See you later." He said stepping inside the house and turning round to look at her. "Sorry for bumping in to you, should've been looking where I was going."

"It's fine. Bye." Mickie said before she made her way down the pathway, and turned left to walking along the sidewalk. She heard the front door shut, and she put her head down and let a few warm tears escape from her chocolate brown eyes.

She would leave number 53 behind her.

It was someone else's house now.

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><p><strong>So yeah.. review?<strong>

**Hannah x**


	3. You Know Where It Is

**A/N: Hi guys, hope your liking this story. It's getting quite good to write! A big thank you to my brother, who helped me with the plot. He just had a crazy idea, and I loved it :)**

**Thank you to **_DX Llamas and GummyBears OH MY **(that is such a cool name btw!) **_Mick-a-rana and ayebeehmehx3 __**for reviewing last chapter!**

**Enjoy..**

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><p>Mickie had decided that she needed to get out, to go somewhere. Kelly, Mickie's best friend decided to tag along.<p>

"We could go and get something in the café?" Kelly asked, pointing towards the shop.

"Yeah sure lets go, I'm starving."

They walked towards the café and not long after, Kelly was queuing up to get the food, while Mickie went to go and find a table.

Mickie watched as two teenage girls sat drinking a cup of what looked like hot chocolate, shared a large muffin while gossiping away. _That's what I should have been doing as a teenager. _Mickie thought to herself.

Kelly came back with two baked potatoes and coleslaw and some drinks. They talked about work and how busy things had been lately. Mickie and Kelly had been friends since Mickie had moved to Cornwall all those years ago, and they both had decided that a change of scenery would be nice instead of looking at beaches and sea water all the time. The two friends moved to London and rented out a flat, but had hardly seen each other because of their different work times. They'd been talking about it for a few minutes before Kelly suddenly changed the subject.

"Do you think John is good looking?"

Mickie sighed. She had no idea who John was. _I thought she was dating a guy called Cody? _She thought.

"I don't know who John is."

"John, from work?" She lifted up an eyebrow. "Have I not told you about him?"

Mickie shook her head 'no' and continued to eat some of her potato before waiting to hear Kelly start her rant about John.

"Well he has these amazing blue eyes, he's really muscular, has a kind smile, and absolutely gorgeous!" Kelly smiled. "Well I think he is anyway."

"Sounds like a keeper."

Kelly went on talking about John and what she liked about him. Mickie didn't mind. It was easy talk, funny, and silly and often rude. It had no deep meaning to it.

"And John asked me if I wanted to go out for drink tomorrow night." Kelly took a sip of her coke.

"So what did you say?" Mickie asked.

"I said yes of course!"

Mickie took a forkful of potato and salad from her plate. She found herself looking at what Kelly was wearing. Today she had a pair of blue jean shorts and some white designer t-shirt. Her long blonde hair was curled and flowed down her back and she had little make-up on. It didn't surprise Mickie that her friend got asked out for drinks, because she was beautiful.

"Do you think he's good in bed?" Kelly asked.

Mickie took a last mouthful of food before pushing her plate away. She tried to mentally picture this John bloke.

"How'd you mean in bed? Mickie asked, feigning innocence. "Sleeping you mean? Well then I wo-"

"No, you know," Kelly laughed, "rocking and rolling."

Once again, Mickie tried to picture John, but nothing would come.

"Marks out of ten?" Kelly asked, leaning forward in her chair.

"I don't know!"

Mickie didn't know. She'd had a boyfriend down in Cornwall but it had been pretty tame stuff. They'd kissed and cuddled but he started to become more demanding and she automatically stopping liking him. She wasn't the kind of girl that all the boys went for, that was Kelly. She hardly wore make-up, basically lived in jeans and converses and wouldn't do much with her hair. She kept it natural, and it suited her.

"Do you think he likes me?"

"He must do, he asked you out Kels." Mickie replied, and Kelly nodded her head. A few minutes past before Kelly spoke up again.

"Hey, good-looking guy behind the counter!" Kelly whispered, loud enough just so the table next to theirs could hear. Mickie refused to look round, so Kelly began talking about something that had happened at work. "Look, look, the guys coming this way!' Kelly said in a whisper.

Mickie didn't even bother looking. If he was attractive he wouldn't be looking at her, he would be looking at Kelly.

"I know you. You're the girl who made me drop my apples."

The voice came from behind her. Mickie spun round. It was the guy with the starched apron. She turned back. She knew him. It was the man from 53 Kents Hill Road.

"Dropped his apples?" Kelly asked, a wicked look on her face. "Is that some kind of code? Some sort of metaphor?"

Mickie looked away as he pulled out a chair and sat beside her. He was holding a drink.

"We had a pedestrian collision and she made me drop my shopping."

"Oh dear, well I hope your shopping is okay." Kelly smiled. "My names Kelly by the way."

"Hi Kelly, I'm Randy." He said.

"I have to go." Kelly said suddenly, gathering her things and giving Mickie a raised eyebrow look.

"I'm coming." Mickie said.

"No, stay. You sit here while I go to the loo. I'll see you at the exit."

Kelly slid from the seat and was gone in seconds. Randy moved to where she had been sitting. Then he was staring straight at her.

"Shouldn't you be working?" Mickie asked.

"My break."

Mickie felt uncomfortable. She could just get up and go, it would be easy. She didn't know him or owe him anything. She pulled a strand of hair from behind the back of her ear and began winding it round her finger. After a few awkward moments she felt the need to break the silence.

"So your apples were fine?"

He smiled suddenly, showing almost all of his white teeth.

"Some needed counseling." He said with a serious look. Mickie was puzzled for a second before the penny dropped, and she laughed. The laughter continued, tinkling out of her unexpected. Randy sat back, drinking his drink with a satisfied look on his face.

"Why were you looking at my house?"

"I wasn't." She said, he face creasing.

"It was definitely you Mickie, you were just standing there, staring at it."

"I was miles away, sorry."

"It's not a problem. I was just curious." He leaned forward. "So do you live nearby?"

"Yeah."

"Do you live on your own? With your boyfriend? With your friend?"

"I share a flat with Kelly."

"So, no boyfriend?"

"I didn't say that." She said.

"You do have a boyfriend?"

"I might."

He put his drink down on the table and his hand crept across the surface and lay on top of hers. He was so confident, so sure that she was bowled over by him. She ignored his hand and concentrate on the tattoo's that went all the way up his muscular arms.

"You'd like me. I'm multi-talented." He said, his fingers making lazy circles on the back of her hand, giving her a tingle that seemed to travel up her arm and go towards her chest. She pulled her hand back, and placed it on her lap.

"At what? Working in a café?" She asked.

He chuckled and sat upright.

"I've been traveling. This is a summer job."

"So that's why you have such a nice tan."

"No, this is my normal skin color."

"But, you've been traveling?"

'So, you did take notice of me?"

He was staring at her again.

"I should go," she said. "I have to find Kelly." She began gathering her things.

"Give me your mobile number."

"She'll be waiting." Mickie muttered, standing up and pushing her chair in as if she were a pupil in a primary school class.

"Come round one night, I'll show you some photos."

"That's a new line." She laughed.

"53 Kents Hill Road. Come and see me Saturday night, just after seven. You know where it is."

"I think I'm busy." Mickie said, turning away.

"I'll be waiting, just after seven."

She walked towards the exit. Kelly was outside; she could see a flash of long blonde hair. She headed towards her only to see her talking to some man.

_Come and see me. _Randy Orton's voice was there in her head.

Kents Hill Road. _You know where it is._

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><p><strong>Review?<strong>


	4. Tension

**A/N: Hey, I am going to try and focus on finishing this story before I start writing some more chapters on my other story (Feel free to check it out if you want :P) I have a feeling that this is going to be about another 3-4 chapters until the end. **

**Thanks for all your reviews, keep them coming! **

**Enjoy :)**

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><p>On Saturday evening Mickie sat at the computer replying to a couple of emails from girls she'd known in Cornwall. She was glad to have something to do to take her mind off Randy Orton's invitation. She told herself that it had just been a casual invite. He had probably forgotten it as soon as she left the café. In any case how could she go back to her old house? To Kents Kill Road? She couldn't. It was out of the question.<p>

And yet she couldn't help but think of him. She sat in front of the mirror and untied her brown hair from the loose ponytail that it had been in. She let it hang down each side of her face. The ends of it lay across her breasts. She curled them around her fingers. She thought about the times she'd walked out of the sea when she lived in Cornwall with it dripping wet, stuck to her back, weighing her head down. _Why had she not had it cut? _Shaking her head, she pulled it back from her face and tied it with an elastic grip, feeling the cool air in her room hit the back of neck making her shiver.

The sound of a door closing made her look round.

"Hey, I'm going out with some of the girls from work." Kelly called out.

Mickie poked her head out in to the hallway.

Kelly was dressed up. She had a new dress on, bright blue. It fell above her knees showing off her long tanned legs with a pair of black high heels on her feet. Her long blonde hair had been washed and blow dried and she was wearing make-up, lipstick and mascara.

"Where you going?"

"Some new restaurant in town. Will you be alright?"

"Yeah I'll be fine. Go, have a nice time. Text me later or something." Mickie said, blowing a kiss to Kelly.

"Okay will do. Love you!" Kelly shouted heading towards the door.

"You too Kels!" Mickie replied, sitting back on the desk chair, starring at the computer screen. She heard the sound of the front door clicking shut and sighed. What to do now?

Mickie looked around her room, drumming her fingers on the desk. Her eyes caught sight of the alarm clock next to her bed. The bright red numbers read 6:39pm.

_Saturday night, just after seven_. Randy Orton's voice was back. _I'll be waiting, just after seven_.

Biting her lip, Mickie spun round on her chair and got up, and slipped her converses on. Kents Kill Road was only a bus ride away, but Mickie decided to walk.

Not long after, Mickie found herself at the end of her old road. This end of the road was all houses and gardens, neater and prettier than the other end where her house was. The first number she noticed was 291. It was a long road. She remembered walking down it, beside the pushchair, looking down at the pavement, watching her feet pass across the edges of the paving stones. The walk was quicker that way. Every ten steps of so she would look up and see the numbers pass; 247, 199, 173, 135. _Look where your going Mickie, you're walking to quickly. You'll trip up and pull the pushchair over with you!_ Her mum's voice was in her head. Then they were there. Number 53.

She looked at her watch. It was just before seven. A couple of young women were walking along the pavement and she moved back out of their way. The heels of their shoes were scraping the pavement and she watched their neat shapes march up the road.

Would she look like that she wondered? Would she ever be like that? Smart clothes, high heels, working in a bank or building society? She looked down at her blue vest and light washed out jeans. Her converses looked like they had been stepped through puddles of rain water and one of the knees of her jeans was threadbare, allowing her knee to poke out every time she bent her leg. She should throw them away but they were her favorite pair.

She raised her eyes of the house. It looked blankly at her. What was she doing here? Would it still look the same inside just like it did when she was just a child? Mickie looked up at the right hand side of the house and saw Randy's face in the window smiling. Then he suddenly disappeared. He was coming down to let her in. She felt herself tensing. Was she going to do this? To walk back in her old house? A few moments later the front door opened and he was standing there.

"I didn't think you'd come." He said.

"Neither did I."

"You look hot."

"I've been walking."

She was hot. The walking and the sudden panic had made her start to sweat. She was uncomfortable. Her fringe had started to stick to her forehead.

"Come in for a glass of water."

He held the door open. Would it hurt, to go in for a few minutes? Wasn't this what she'd really wanted, over the last weeks? Her visits to the street. Hadn't she wanted to go in and see what the house was like?

"Just for a glass of water." She said.

She followed him into the house, one step at a time, not sure if she might suddenly turn tail and run back up the street. She walked slowly along the hall. The hallway was stripped back to wooden floorboards and a fake wall divided off the stairs. There was dust in the air; she could see it in the beam of light coming from the living room. She could taste it.

Randy opened the kitchen door, and a dog bounded out, tail wagging. It was big, light colored; retriever she thought, it's hair flying out as it approached her.

"This is Teddy." Randy said, squatting down to pat the dog.

"Cute name." Mickie replied, reaching out to stroke the back of the dog's ear. "I've got a cat."

"Does your cat have a name?"

"Kitty."

"Seriously?" Randy said, chuckling a little. "You could have called the cat anything, but you call it Kitty?"

"I know, but I couldn't think of a name that suited her." Mickie giggled.

"Right, follow me and I'll get you that drink."

Mickie nodded and followed Randy, holding her breath as she walked in to the room, almost scared at what she would see when she got in there.

It bore no resemblance to anything she remembered. Everything in it was glowing. The cupboard doors were like mirrors, the worktops glossy, the fridge was stainless steel. She could only vaguely recall what it had been like when she'd lived there. There'd been units she was sure and a fridge with a freezer at the bottom. They'd had been checked curtains she remembered. Yellow and white. Randy handed her a glass of water with ice cubes in it.

"This room is nice." She said.

"Thanks, It's only just been redecorated. Took a while but I'm happy with the outcome."

"I like it." Mickie silently gulped down the icy water, look round the room again, trying not to make eye contact with him. After a few minutes Mickie finally dragged her eyes back to his. Putting down her drink, she bit her lip and stepped lightly over to where he was standing.

Starring once again at her feet, she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear before looking up at him. He went to speak but before he could say a word she leaned towards him and kissed him. He was surprised, but the kiss only took a few seconds and then she backed away.

"Wow, er.."

"Sorry."

"No, don't be I just wasn't expecting that." Randy smiled.

"I just wanted to break the tension between us."

"I don't feel any tension."

"I do, though."

She stood there, staring straight at him. Her arms handing down awkwardly as if she didn't know what to do with them. He raised one hand and touched her cheek. Then he moved up towards her, closed his eyes and brushed his lips against hers. After a few seconds he pushed harder, opening his mouth. He felt her tense then relax and his arms dropped to circle her waist. Then he pulled back and stood up straight and let his arms drop away drop away from her.

"How's that?" he asked. "Does that feel any better?"

"Much better." Mickie replied.

"Good. Now, do you want to have a look at my travel photos? That's what I invited you round for in the first place." He smirked.

"I should probably get going."

"Its early though, just stay for half and hour?"

He started to walk over to the door and in to the hallway, making his way in to the living room. She followed.

"Come on, I promise I wont bite." He joked.

"Just for ten minutes?"

He nodded and sat down on the sofa and patted the space next to him. She looked towards the door, then back at him.

She took a deep breath, and made her way over to him.


	5. House Of Death

**A/N: Hey, I've had this chapter written down on paper for a few days now, but I've been so busy that I haven't had time to type it up. So at 8:28 am this morning I was up typing. Mad right? I was also listening to two (amazing) songs while I was writing this chapter, ****Skinny Love-Birdy & Bloodstream- Stateless. If any of you are Vampire Diaries fans, you would probably remember the songs from being on the show. Check them out! (: **

**I hope your all enjoying this story as much as I am writing it! **

**Thank you for all your reviews, keep em' coming! **

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><p>She took a seat on the brown leather soda next to Randy. She allowed the distance between them. Mickie took a quick look around the room, and noticed that it hadn't really changed much except for the different furniture. She could still remember having the red walls when she was little. A shiver ran down her spine, and she shut her eyes hard.<p>

Memories of sitting in the room with her mum and dad watching television or playing games started to spill in to her mind.

"_The tickle monster is coming to get you!" Her father said, crawling towards her. _

"_No daddy!" Mickie screamed, erupting in to a fit of giggles. _

"_You better run, or he's gonna get you!" _

"_What's all this noise?" Her mother said, coming in to the living room._

"_Mummy, daddy's gonna get me!" _

"_Oh no! What are you going to do?" _

"_Hide me Mummy!" Mickie said, moving to stand behind her. _

"_But what's the fun in that when I can be tickling you too?" Her mum smiled, turning round to look at Mickie and tickle her belly. _

Mickie tried to shake them away, but they weren't budging. Opening her eyes back up she saw Randy frowning at her.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just got a bit of a headache." She lied.

"You sure?" Randy asked, concerned.

"Positive."

Randy nodded his head and turned to his laptop that was sitting on the coffee table. Moving his fingertips against the mouse the screen lit up, but something caught Mickie's eye. She was faced with what looked like the front of a newspaper article.

**House of Death. **_Mother murdered in Kents Hill Road. _

"I'll get rid of this." Randy said.

It took a moment for Mickie to register what she was seeing. The words were shocking enough, but in the middle of the page was a picture of her mum. A smiling photograph of her mum from years before.

"I'll shut it down." Randy began moving the mouse over to the corner of the screen, clicking it shut. Mickie let out a shaky breath, her eyes still glued to the computer screen. He turned to her and looked puzzled, his forehead crinkling.

"It's just something I'm researching. Sorry, has it upset you?"

"Open it up."

"Not if it's gonna upset you."

"Please, just open it up."

Randy opened the document and the newspaper page was in front of her once again. She looked at the headline, at the words, at the photograph of her mum. Underneath it, the caption read _Elizabeth James, 34-year-old mother of one. _Mickie felt her breath catch in her throat, and looked at her mum's pretty face. Kelly had said that she looked like her, that she had the same mouth, eyes and hair. But Mickie could never really see the resemblance.

"I'll close it down." Randy said, and the screen changed again. Mickie stood up.

"I should go."

"I've spooked you. I shouldn't of left this on the screen. This house has a dark past. I didn't think to mention it. You don't just tell your guests what kind of stuff has happened in your house before you lived there. Would you?"

She stared at him, her face stiff.

"This house– my mum left it for me. It has a terrible past. There was a murder here. I wanted to sell it when my mum passed, but it reminded me of her and I just couldn't do it."

"And you're fine with living here?" Mickie asked.

"Yes. I mean obviously I wish it hadn't happened at all, but I'm all right living here, I probably shouldn't tell you anymore. It's a bit squeamish. But it didn't happen in this room. It was upstairs in the main bedroom."

She knew that. She knew the whole story better than him.

"This man killed his wife here."

"I really need to go," She said, moving towards the living room door. "It's getting late."

"It's a horrible story. Maybe I shouldn't have told you. It was eleven years ago. People die in houses all the time."

That stung. It felt like Mickie had just been punched in the chest.

"What I don't get is why you're researching it?"

"Because if I know everything that happened, I can come to terms with it. If I think there's hidden stud it will make me feel uneasy able living here."

Mickie nodded. It sounded like a sensible approach.

"I'm sorry Mickie, I can't think of what to say."

"I just have to go."

In seconds, she was walking in to the hallway and heading towards the door. Turning round she looked to the top of the stairs. Suddenly she heard a high-pitched scream. It sounded like the person was in pain, like the person was her mum, when her dad..

Mickie snapped her head to the side to look at Randy who was standing beside her.

"Did you hear that?" She asked, eyes wide open.

"Hear what?"

"The scre— er, nothing. Don't worry."

"It's history Mickie. Every house has history; births, deaths, happiness, sadness."

"I need to get home. Kelly will be wondering where I am."

Out of nowhere, the dog was beside her; it's tail-wagging, tongue hanging out. She let her hand ruffle its fur and then turned to open the front door.

"Will you come again? No, stupid question. Not now that I've spooked you, you'll never come here again."

Mickie heard a beep and took her mobile phone out of her pocket. The name Kelly flashed on the screen.

"Look," Randy said looking upset. "Will you at least let me give you my mobile number?"

She felt bad. He wasn't to know. She handed him her mobile phone, and he began to key in his number. When he finished he handed it back.

"Do you know who it was who died here?" She asked.

"Just a women. Apparently, some reports said that her child saw the murder happen but they don't know for sure," He gave a small smile. "The man that killed the women is in prison for life though."

She nodded. _Good. _

"Will you ring me?"

Mickie leaned forward and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Maybe." She said, opening the door and walking down the pathway and in to the street.

_I need to know everything, _he'd said. Would he really like to know what happened there in that house?

One evening, when she was eleven, she woke up to hear her parents arguing. She walked in to her parent's room just in time to see her father stab her mother in the chest with a knife.

_Her own father, _Robert James.


	6. Pieces Of The Puzzle

**A/N: Hi guys! I just want to let you know that next chapter will probably be the last one. I know how it's going to end and I hope that you'll like it. **

**And also, If any of you people reading this are on twitter, feel free to follow me ( _hana18 ) and I'll let you know when I update and all that jazz :)**

**Thanks for all your reviews, keep them coming! **

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><p>On Thursday Mickie walked out of her house and saw Randy sanding across the road. It made her stop. She raised her hand in a wave.<p>

Mickie had been at home all day on her own that she didn't like the quiet anymore and needed to get out of the house. Seeing him had been a total surprise and she wanted to smile. Underneath though, there was still the uncomfortable feeling of seeing all that stuff on his laptop.

She made her way across the road and in moments she was standing in front of him.

"How did you know this was where I live?"

"I saw you walk in to this house a couple days ago when I was taking the dog for a walk."

"What are you doing here?" Mickie asked.

"I wanted to talk to you. After last week. After being in my house. There's something I wanted to say."

"You don't have to worry. Forget about it. It was nothing."

"I can't forget about it. I know about you…"

"What?" She laughed, looking round, a little self-conscious, hoping that Kelly wouldn't appear from somewhere.

"I know about you and your family. I know who you are."

"I don't get you."

"Mickie James," he said, lowering his voice, "From Cornwall. You used to live in my house. Eleven years ago…"

Mickie sighed. She could feel a headache coming on.

"I suppose you looked me up on your computer." She said, rubbing her forehead with her knuckles.

"No. I was talking to a neighbour. She said that she'd spoken to the girl who used to live in our house." Randy scratched the back of his neck. "Then I kinda put two and two together and, well.. Yeah."

"Oh." She said.

"You wanna maybe go for a walk?"

She stood still for a moment not knowing what to do. Some people edged past her on the sidewalk. She looked down the street and saw a white-blonde head turn round the corner. The last thing she wanted was for Kelly to see her talking to Randy. Especially now at this very moment.

"Yeah sure."

They turned and began walking next to each other. Mickie felt Randy's hand brush against hers and a shock went up her arm. She smiled.

"I'm sorry about last week, about you seeing that stuff on the laptop. If I'd known…"

"It's all right," she said. "How could you have known? There's nothing for you to apologise for."

They walked in silence for a few minutes, listening to cars go down the roads, winds blow through the trees. It felt quiet peaceful.

"Was that why you were looking at the house? That first time I saw you?" he asked, his voice tentative.

"Er.. Yeah." She said.

"It kind of makes more sense now, why you were so nervous about coming to the house and stuff."

"I just didn't know how I would feel being in there again. It had been so long."

"I can understand that."

They took a left down another road.

"So, how long have you lived there?" Mickie asked.

"About a year and a half. I already told you the story about how I got it."

Mickie nodded.

"Do you miss your mum?" she asked.

"A lot. My mum raised me by herself, so we bonded a lot."

"What about you dad?"

"I never met him. My mum said that he went to prison when I was about fourteen, but by then I had never had a father and couldn't really care for one."

"Why not?"

"He is in prison Mickie, why would I want a father who is a bad influence?"

"We have something in common," She gave Randy a small smile. "Both our dads are in prison and both our mums have passed."

"Pretty weird."

Silence took over them again before Randy spoke up.

"Do you remember the night it happened?"

Mickie knew this question was coming. She could feel it. The way he was looking at her all worried like he was afraid to even ask it.

"Like it was yesterday," Mickie looked down at her feet. "I wish I could just forget about it, but I cant."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. Something like that should never have happened."

"I know."

"Your welcome to come round to the house if you ever want to take a look round you know." Mickie said.

"I would like that. But maybe just not yet, even walking through the front door was a pretty big step to take."

"I completely understand." Randy stopped walking and sat down on the bench. Mickie smiled and followed Randy's actions. "You look like your mum. From some of the pictures I've seen, she was a beautiful women, just like you."

Mickie blushed and looked down at her hands.

"Thanks."

Half an hour later, Mickie was back at home. Now that Randy knew about her it made her feel a little bit calmer. She didn't have to keep hiding secrets from him, and it made her feel good.

Mickie was sat on her bedroom floor, sorting out things that had been pushed under her bed. As she moved some boxes about, a pink folder caught her eye. Squinting to look at it, she reached for it and pulled it out. She brushed the dust off it and opened the folder.

_Letters. _

Mickie bit her lip as she flicked through the many pieces of paper and some unopened envelopes that were stacked on top of one another. They weren't just any letters. They were letters from her father. The father that was currently locked up in prison for murdering her mother.

She had began receiving the letters about a year after he father went to prison. She would read them, but never write back. He would always send one on her birthday, or at christmas. She thought that it was him trying to play sick mind games with her. Rubbing it in her face, that even though he wasn't _there, _he was still _around_. As Mickie got older, she started ignoring the letters, and would just stuff it in the folder without even opening it. But here she was, once again staring at the envelope. She ripped the top open of the latest envelope that she had put in there about a month ago and pulled out the crisp, white paper. Mickie was surprised to see that it was printed, her father's name at the top, right hand corner, Robert S James. It had been done on a computer. Her eyes slid down the page to the bottom, to the signature. It was scrawny, not straight, more like a pattern, the R and the J standing tall and the rest dissolving into squiggles.

She tried to focus on the page in front of her but her chest was liquid. Her ribs seemed fluid. She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to work out what was going on. Fear? Sadness? Bitterness? Were these emotions swirling round, melding together? Filing her up? She slumped back and leaned against her bed. She couldn't identify any particular emotion. She felt empty.

The letter was short. Mickie made herself read it over twice.

_Dear Mickie, It's been sometime since I last wrote. I hear, through the family grapevine, that you are well and that makes me feel good. I'm reasonably healthy and holding up okay. The reason why I am writing is because I feel like you need to know the truth. I have the feeling that you stopped reading my letters to you a long time ago, but if you are reading this now I hope this is what you want. While I was married to your mother, I was having an affair. It was before you were born, but I was married and I cheated. Something that I regret very deeply. While the affair was going on, the women, Julie got pregnant. So somewhere out there, I have a son, and you have a half brother. Your mother somehow found out about the affair and threatened to leave and take you with her. And I could not bare to loose you Mickie. So I snapped, and I killed your mother. Mickie, just so you know, if I could turn back time, then I would, and we would still be a happy family. But I'm afraid that's not how it is, and I am so very sorry for that. I would never do anything to hurt you. I think of you every day and wonder what you are like. You were only a little girl. I never forget that for one moment. Never. _

_Much, much love, Dad. _

Mickie looked up. She had a half brother? Her father had cheated while being married to her mother? She quickly stuffed the letters back in to the folder and shoved it back under her bed. Mickie stood up and walked over to her window looking out at the field at the back of her house. A fews tears escaped her brown eyes as she thought of her mum. She hadn't a clue all those years. He played her. Used her. _Killed _her.

She didn't want her father in prison. She wanted him _dead. _


	7. The Truth Lies Closer

**A/N: Okay, this is the second time writing this chapter. I had originally wrote about 3,000 words, and as I go to save it, my laptop decided to go all spazy on me and just freeze. I nearly cried. So now I feel like I have basically lost the will to write this chapter and I know it's not as good as it could be, so for that I am really sorry.**

**Thank you to everyone who have reviewed this story, they really do mean a lot! :)**

**Hope you like how this turned out..**

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><p>The sound of her ring tone woke Mickie just after ten. It was coming from downstairs in the living room. She moved quickly but missed the call. The name <em>Kelly <em>was on the screen. Moments later the beep of a message came. _Hey hope your okay, nothing has really changed here. Give me a call when you can xo_

Last Saturday, Kelly had gone to Manchester after getting a call from her mum saying that her dad had a heart attack and was currently in hospital. It had taken her five minutes to pack a bag, say a quick goodbye and get out the door and make her way to see her family. Mickie hadn't even had the chance to ask Kelly if she wanted her to go with her.

Mickie went into the kitchen and got a large glass of water. She drank it down and then went back up to her room. She had not been able to stop thinking about the letter from her father and what it said.

_So somewhere out there, I have a son, and you have a half brother. _

Those words sent chills down her spine. Questions had ran non stop through her mind. What does he look like? Where does he live? Does he look like me?

She sat down on her bed and pulled the hair-band out of her hair, letting her long brown curls cascade down her back. She ran her hands through her hair, and gently massaged her scalp with her fingers. Sighing, she laid down on her bed, and pulled the covers up as if she was a child protecting themselves from the monsters under the bed or in the wardrobe. She closed her eyes, and let the thoughts leave her head one by one.

"I miss you mum."

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><p>Mickie found herself walking down the familiar round once again. She needed to see the house. She needed to see her mum and dads room.<p>

She stopped outside the house and took a long look at it. Randy had kept it clean since the first time she had seen it. He had mowed the lawn and made sure there was no rubbish left on the grass. It looked like a proper family house. It looked like the house she once lived in when she was a child.

She walked up the pathway and gave the door three loud knocks. She started biting her thumbnail as she waited for Randy to open the door.

Suddenly, the door swung open and Randy stood there with smile on his face.

"Hi," Mickie said.

"Just couldn't keep away then," Randy joked.

"I was just wondering if I could take you up on your offer of taking a look round the house?"

Randy studied her for a couple of seconds, then gave a small smile.

"Of course you can."

He moved over and held the door open for her to walk in. Once inside, Mickie took a look up and down the hallway as if she was trying to see if it had changed since the last time that she had been there. Nothing had changed. There was no resemblance to how she remembered seeing it everyday when she was a child.

"How are you?" Randy asked.

"Im okay. Kelly is up in Manchester at the moment, so I'm by myself."

"Your on your own? Are you alright?"

"Im fine, I kind of like the peace and quite. It gives me time to think." Mickie smiled.

Randy nodded and crossed his muscular arms over his chest.

"So, you can take a look round if you want?"

"Are you sure it's okay?"

"Im sure, Mickie." Randy stepped forward and placed his hand on the top of her arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'll be in the kitchen. Give me a shout if you need me."

Randy moved round and walked in to the kitchen, shutting the door behind him. Mickie turned round and came to the foot of the stairs.

It was only a room.

It was not a place to fear. It was a place fore her to reclaim.

Her mouth was as dry as dust as she took a deep breath and put her foot on the stairs.

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><p>She stood at the door nervously. When she had lived there, long maroon velvet curtains had hung down each side of the window. In the bay there had been an old fashioned wooden chest on which sat a big mirror and all her mother's make-up and perfumes. The curtains could only be partially drawn because the mirror was in the way. It meant that at night, the streetlight shone in and the early mornings natural light seeped in to the room.<p>

Unlike the rest of the house it hadn't changed. The room was empty apart from a few boxes that was stacked on top of one another in one of the corners. The light green wallpaper was still on the four walls and the dark wooden floorboards were still there collecting dust.

She walked across and looked out the window. The street was completely empty. In the distance she could hear the faint sound of traffic. In London it was always there, sometimes nearby, sometimes far away. In Cornwall, she could always hear the sea. Some times the waves were close and loud, crashing against the sea wall. At other times, when the tide was out, the sound was distant and soft.

Turning around, she looked at where the bed used to be. When she'd lived in the house her mother's bed had always been neatly made up. Her quilt had been silky and there had been small fancy cushions that had to be taken off the bed before they went to sleep. _They're just for show, _her mum had said. She walked over to the opposite wall and slid down it until she hit the floor. She closed her eyes. She felt light-headed from being in the room.

It has always been a treat to sleep in her mum's bed. When she was ill or needed cheering up, the big bed was a refuge. Waking up in the middle of the night with a hot sore throat or tummy ache she would call out for her mum or dad and one of them would come padding along the hallway and scoop her up and take her into the bed between them. It was times like that were she loved her family.

But when her dad started spending less and less time at home she began sleeping in her mum's bed every night. _Just the two of us. It will be cosy, _her mum had said. And yet Mickie never even wondered where her dad was.

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><p>"Mickie, Mickie, wake up."<p>

A hand was shoving at her shoulder.

She woke up, her head twisting from side to side. Mickie looked around. She was still on the floor. Randy was squatting down beside her.

She let out a gasping sob. She pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Her heart pounding.

"What's wrong? Did you remember something?" Randy asked, his grey eyes soft with concern.

"I had to," she said, her eyes brimming with water, her nose running.

"I don't get it."

"I had to see if I remembered anything new. I must have fallen asleep. I don't know, I need to get out of here Randy, I need to get out of this room." She said, as she started getting up of the floor.

"Okay, okay. Come downstairs."

He led her out of the room. She let him take her hand as if she was a small child. As the door closed behind her she remembered her mother slumped against the wall. Blood coming from the middle of her chest.

Randy pulled a seat out for her, as he went to the sink to get her a glass of water. He placed the glass in front of her, and took the seat next to her and waited for her to speak.

"He cheated on her." Mickie said as she stared at the glass on the table.

"Who?"

"My dad. He had an affair before I was born. He got the lady pregnant."

"So you have a half brother or sister?"

"Half brother. The lady who he had the affair with, _Julie, _visited him when he was in prison and told him."

"How do you know this?"

"Letters. He sent letters telling me."

"I'm sorry, Mickie."

"No, Randy, It's not your fault. Im sorry. Are you okay?"

"It's fine. But i've been better. Its my mum's birthday today."

"This might be a weird question but, do you have a photo of your mum?"

"Yeah, hold on a minute." Randy got up and left the kitchen, a couple of seconds later he came back in holding a photo.

Mickie looked at the photo. She had the same eyes as Randy. She was beautiful.

"She was beautiful, Randy." Mickie smiled.

"Yeah, she sure was," Randy chuckled, "_Julie _Orton, what a woman."

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><p><strong>Well? <strong>

**I would love some reviews to finish this story of! Please? (:**


	8. What Was Right In Front Of You

**A/N: Yeah so I understand if you want to kill me. It's been way to long but I had just totally lost the spark that I had when I first started writing. However, my brother persuaded me to finish the story and I ended up typing this out on my iPod at 3 in the morning. It's not as long as the other chapters, but its the last one, so I hope you all like how this turned out! **

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><p><em>"Julie Orton, what a women."<em>

Mickie repeated the words that had left Randy's lips as she walked away from her old house.

Julie.

The name that she had learned to hate over the last few weeks. The women that had destroyed her family. Her happy family. The woman that had done such a small thing, that ended up with the only person who she loved, and cared about the most being hurt. Her mum. Her poor, innocent mum who had done nothing but good when she was alive. The women who Mickie loathed. _Julie_.

Mickie crossed the road, and in a matter of minutes she was unlocking her front door and stepping inside. She shrugged off her jacket, and tossed her keys on to the little table that stood against the wall. Mickie closed her eyes and ran a hand over her face.

She was tired. Tired of being caught up in the past.

But however much information Mickie found out, there still seemed to be a piece of the puzzle missing. Like something still wasn't right.

_This house- __my mum left it for me. _

Mickie frowned. So many thoughts started processing in her mind. Quickly turning, Mickie shot up the stairs and bundled in to her room. She kneeled down by her bed and looked under, hands stretched out, patting about on the carpet. Her eyes caught sight of the pink folder that had been pushed right to the back, out of sight. Mickie grabbed it and pulled it out.

Opening it up, she emptied the letters out on to the floor until they were scattered all around her. Taking a death breath, Mickie grabbed one at random and tore it open.

Her eyes skimmed the page but found nothing other than her father telling her how he was and that he hoped she was well. The next few were all the same, nothing that gave her any information on this Julie lady, her mothers death or even her old house.

Until she picked one letter. That gave her the explanation she had been looking for.

The first part of the letter was the same as the rest. She didn't bother reading it properly because she didn't want to know how he was. She didn't want to know that he still thinks of her, and that he hopes she's safe. Mickie didn't care. As far as she was concerned, he lost the right of being her father the day he killed her mother.

Mickie did however stop and read the letter when the name Julie popped up. She pulled the paper closer to her face, as if it being nearer to her would give her more answers.

_Mickie, I am once again so sorry. I think to myself sometimes that if I didn't have that affair with Julie, me and your mother would still be happily married. We might of even had another kid. You could of had a baby brother, or sister. But I ruined all that. I will let you know, that as soon as I found out that your mother knew I had the affair, I left the house to Julie. I guess it was a moment of madness. Anyway, I will once again, say my goodbyes._

_I love you, Mickie. For ever and always._

_Dad x_

_P.s. Incase you ever want to meet your half brother, you should probably look up his mum as it will be easier to find him. _Julie Orton_._

Julie Orton_. _

_Julie Orton. _

Mickie froze. All of a sudden, it was a like a hundred light bulbs went of in her head. It had felt like she had found the final piece of the puzzle. Mickie ran a hand through her hair. How had she missed it? All the signs that were right in front of her and she had been completely blind throughout all if it.

Suddenly, Mickie stood, still clutching the letter in her hand. She raced down the stairs, grabbing her keys and bolted out the door and began to run. Run to her old house.

In record time, Mickie was sprinting up the pathway and banging on the door. She was out of breath, and her head was spinning. She felt sick and was dehydrated.

The front door quickly opened and Mickie pushed herself in side before Randy could even get a word out.

Mickie doubled over, trying to catch her breath.

"Mickie, what's the matter?" Randy asked, his voice full of concern for the brunette.

"I..you..we.."

"Hey, take it easy come on, come and sit down."

Randy placed a hand on the small of her back and led her inside the living room. Mickie took a seat and put her head in her hands.

"Now, you want to try and tell me whats going on?" Randy questioned, taking a seat next to her.

"You'll never believe me." Mickie said.

"Try me."

Mickie let out a long, shaky breath.

"Well, you see.. I er, you.." Mickie shut her eyes and mentally scolded herself. "I found.. You, erm.. I.."

"Mickie.."

"No. I.. my.. Oh god.." Mickie slapped her forehead.

"Mickie, just spi-"

"Your my half brother!"

After a silence that seemed to go on for years, Randy finally spoke up.

"I know."

_**-fin-**_

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><p><strong>Yeah, I thought I'd finish the story on a cliff hanger. Leave you guessing about how he knew.. <strong>

**Anyway, everyone who has reviewed has been my inspiration to write this story. Without your positive feedback, I wouldn't even have got this far with this story. So thank you! **

**Ronon'sRascal78, ViperPrincess87, MCuevas, DX Llamas and GummyBears OH MY, Mick-a-rana, ilaabyahx3, inlalaand, sofiarocks15, iheartrandyx3, Chelsea, JennyLovesYou, Aaaammber and Nattywwe, thank you all so much! You guys rocks! **


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